Modern cafe chairs

Clean lines, curved shells, padded backs: the modern chair suits a shop with a concrete floor and a steel counter. There are 64 here, on metal, wood and wood-look aluminum frames, many with an upholstered back. Decide first how long people stay, because that tells you whether you need padding or a plain shell.

How long do they sit?

A grab-and-go deli and a cafe where people stay two hours need different chairs. For the quick visit, a plain wood or metal back is fine and cleans in seconds. For the long sit, look at the padded ones: 23 of the 64 list a padded back, and 27 an upholstered back.

Twenty have a curved back and eight a bucket shape, which wraps the shoulders a little. Ten have arms, a better seat for a long stay that takes more room at the table.

Frames and seats

Thirty-three frames are metal, nineteen wood, ten aluminum with a wood look and six metal with a wood look. The wood-look aluminum chairs give the warmth of wood on a frame that will not swell.

Vinyl covers 50 seats, wood 25 and fabric 22, and 42 list upholstery options. Vinyl is the easy one at close. Fabric is warm and quiet in a room with hard walls and a hard floor.

Seat heights, and why they matter

This group lists more seat heights than most. Nine sit at 18 inches, six at 18 1/2, five at 17 3/4 and five at 19 1/2, with a few at 19 and 20. Under a 29 or 30 inch table, the gap from seat to top should be 10 to 12 inches. A chair at 20 inches under a 29-inch table leaves 9, which will feel tight to a tall customer.

The metal dining chair is broad at 24 1/4" W x 26 1/2" D x 32 3/4" H. The bucket chair is narrower at 19" W x 22" D x 32" H.

Prices run from around $86 to $340. Fifty-four carry an indoor listing; none is meant for the patio.

Close relatives

For a shell that wraps further, see bucket chairs. Padded seats and backs are in upholstered chairs, and the older shapes in traditional chairs. Put the chair you choose in a shop plan with the seat height noted, so the next order matches.